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GIMP Tutorial - [ Free Select Tool Tutorial ]

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In this video tutorial I will show you how use the GIMP free select tool to make multiple selections on an image.

Gimp 2.10 Install Guide: https://youtu.be/Av06pX9-K-c

Download image: https://pixabay.com/en/lion-predator-...

#GIMP #Tutorial #selectTool #dcpweb

Free tutorials, infographics, articles: https://www.dcpweb.co.uk/blog

The Free Selection tool, or Lasso, lets you create a selection by drawing it free-hand with the pointer, while holding down the left mouse button (or, for a stylus, pressing it against the tablet). When you release the mouse button, the selection is closed by connecting the current pointer location to the start location with a straight line. You can go outside the edge of the image display and come back in if you want to. The Lasso is often a good tool to use for “roughing in” a selection; it is not so good for precise definition. Experienced users find that it is often convenient to begin with the lasso tool, but then switch to QuickMask mode for detail work.

GIMP Free Selection Tool - Useful Link: https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/gimp-to...

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Instagram Stories are one of the best tools to connect with your audience in real time. With over 500 million people using Stories every day, it’s a place where businesses can build relationships, boost visibility, and stay relevant. But to succeed, you need the right strategy.

In this post, we’ll look at five powerful tips to improve your Instagram Stories.

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Here are five simple but powerful tips to make your Instagram Stories stand out and keep people coming back for more.

Add Location TAG

Adding a location tag to your Stories helps boost visibility. It tells Instagram where your content is based and makes it easier for people nearby to discover it. This is especially useful if you run a local business or are targeting a specific area.

When someone clicks on that location in other posts, your Story might appear in the feed. This means more reach and potentially new followers who are already interested in what you offer.

You can tag a city, venue, or even your shop’s exact location. Just tap the sticker icon, select ‘Location’, and choose your tag. It only takes a few seconds but can make a big difference.

Post 3-5 stories a day

Consistency is key on Instagram. Posting 3 to 5 Stories a day keeps your content fresh without overwhelming your followers. This amount is just right to stay visible and engaging throughout the day.

Start with something light in the morning, maybe a motivational quote or a friendly hello. Use the afternoon for a product highlight, customer testimonial, or event update. Finish the day with a poll, Q&A, or a personal thought to spark interaction.

If you post too little, people may forget about you. If you post too much, they may skip your Stories altogether. Stick with 3–5 Stories and keep them interesting.

Share behind the scenes of your business

People love to see what happens behind closed doors. Sharing behind-the-scenes content helps humanise your brand. It builds trust and shows the effort you put into your work.

You could share how your products are made, your team setting up for an event, or a sneak peek into your workday. Even short videos of packaging orders or testing a new idea can be engaging.

These kinds of Stories make your business feel more personal. They give your audience a reason to care, support, and stick around.

Use Q&A and questions

Instagram’s interactive tools are great for building community. The question sticker lets followers ask you anything, while the Q&A format helps you get direct feedback or opinions.

Use the Q&A sticker to answer common customer questions. Or let your followers vote on a new product idea. You can also ask them what they want to see next. This keeps your content user-focused and shows that you value their input.

The more you involve your audience, the more loyal they become. It also gives you new content ideas based on real interest.

Use visually pleasent stories

Your Stories should always look good. That means using clean designs, bright images, and consistent branding. A well-designed Story is more likely to hold attention and encourage viewers to keep watching.

Use Instagram’s built-in tools like filters, fonts, and layout options. You can also use apps like Canva or Adobe Express to create polished designs. Stick to your brand colours and fonts for a consistent feel.

Avoid clutter. Keep the text short and readable. Use high-quality images and videos. A good-looking Story is easier to understand and more enjoyable to watch.

Final Thoughts

Instagram Stories are one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience. They are fun, easy to use, and offer many ways to share your message. But to get the most out of them, you need to post with purpose.

Add a location to reach more people. Stay active with 3–5 Stories a day. Show behind-the-scenes content to build trust. Use Q&A stickers to start conversations. And always make sure your Stories look visually appealing.

Try these five tips and watch your engagement grow.

If you found this helpful, follow us for more Instagram marketing tips. Let’s make your Stories a success!

When you hire a professional with over 20 years of web design experience, you’re investing in proven knowledge and insight. A seasoned expert understands how to align design with business objectives, ensuring every element of your site serves a strategic purpose. Experience means they’ve seen the industry evolve and know how to adapt to emerging trends without losing sight of your brand identity.

Benefits of long-term experience include:

Deep understanding of design principles and user behaviour

Proven processes refined through years of practice

Confidence in delivering functional, secure, and accessible websites

This level of expertise cannot be replicated overnight — it comes from years of solving problems and crafting effective digital solutions.

Experienced website designers rarely rely on generic templates. Instead, they develop tailored strategies designed specifically for your brand and target audience. This ensures your website looks professional and works effectively to meet your business goals.

A custom web strategy includes:

Unique design that reflects your brand personality

Clear user journey and intuitive navigation

Content structure that guides users to take action

By focusing on strategy, experienced designers help businesses stand out in saturated markets and create memorable digital experiences that resonate with users.

In this blog, we explore the key reasons why hiring a specialist agency is a wise decision for businesses that want to compete and grow online.

The Importance of a Strong Online Presence for Modern Businesses

First Impressions Matter in the Digital Age

A professionally designed website serves as your virtual storefront. Within seconds, visitors form an opinion about your brand based on the design and user experience. If your website looks outdated or unprofessional, it can drive potential customers away. An experienced team will design a layout that captures attention, communicates value, and encourages further engagement. This creates a lasting positive impression and sets the tone for your business relationship, whether you're selling products, offering services, or sharing information.

Building Trust with Professional Website Design

Trust is a crucial factor in turning website visitors into paying customers. A well-designed website with high-quality visuals, intuitive navigation, and consistent branding conveys professionalism. An experienced design team can incorporate trust signals like testimonials, certifications, and clear contact options. These elements reassure users that your business is credible and reliable. Building trust online is not just about design but about creating a seamless experience that supports your reputation and customer expectations from the first click.

Staying Competitive in a Crowded Market

Every industry is becoming more saturated online. Businesses that want to stand out must invest in a strong digital presence. A professional design agency can help differentiate your brand through unique visuals, custom functionality, and strategic messaging. This captures attention and helps retain it, keeping users on your site longer. With an experienced partner, your site becomes a tool for competitive advantage, not just a placeholder on the web. A distinctive and engaging site can be the deciding factor between you and your competitors.

At DCP Web Designers, we understand that SEO success begins in the coding process. Our developers build websites that are not only visually appealing but also structured for maximum visibility in search engine results.

What Is SEO and Why It Matters for Web Design

SEO is the practice of enhancing a website to increase its visibility when users search for relevant keywords on platforms like Google. Good SEO drives organic traffic, improves rankings, and enhances user experience. For web design, this means more than just attractive layouts. SEO-friendly websites must be fast, accessible, mobile-responsive, and properly structured for both users and search engines. Web developers help implement these features during the initial build, creating a strong foundation that supports ongoing SEO efforts.

The Evolving Responsibilities of Modern Web Developers

Modern web developers are expected to go beyond coding and design—they must also consider SEO, performance, and user experience. At DCP Web Designers, our developers:

Use semantic HTML to improve content structure

Optimise page loading speed with minified code and compressed assets

Ensure websites are mobile-friendly

Integrate schema markup for better search engine understanding

The role of a web developer has shifted from simply building pages to ensuring that every technical aspect contributes to online visibility and ranking potential.

How Web Developers Impact On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to elements within your website that influence its search ranking. Developers have direct control over many of these elements during the build process. At DCP Web Designers, we focus on:

Clean and semantic HTML

Optimised title tags and meta descriptions

Proper header tag hierarchy

Accessible and responsive layout

By structuring the website correctly from the start, developers make it easier for search engines to index the content and understand its relevance, boosting the site’s visibility.

Read More: https://dcpwebdesigners.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-role-of-web-developers-in-building.html

When it comes to building a high-performing business website, location matters more than you think.

This blog explores why responsive design is crucial for today’s web developers, what core elements define responsiveness, and how it contributes to better SEO, user experience, and cost-efficiency.

Web designers constantly seek ways to improve their workflows, enhance creativity, and accelerate the design process. Thankfully, there are countless online tools and resources available that make the job easier, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your website design journey.

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In this post, we’ll explore some of the best helper sites for web designers, covering tools for design inspiration, code generation, asset creation, and productivity.

Get Waves

Get Waves is a fantastic resource for creating beautiful, customisable SVG wave patterns. These waves are perfect for adding a dynamic visual element to your website backgrounds or section dividers. The site offers a simple, intuitive interface that allows you to adjust wave height, colour, and smoothness before exporting the final SVG file. This makes it a favourite among web designers looking to add a touch of fluid design to their projects.

Key Features:

Generate unique, customisable SVG wave designs

Easy export options

No design skills required

Wordmark

Wordmark is a powerful tool for previewing and selecting the perfect font for your design projects. Simply type in a word or phrase, and Wordmark will display it in every font installed on your computer. This is a huge time-saver for designers who want to quickly compare different font styles without manually cycling through each option in their design software.

Key Features:

Preview text in all installed fonts

Filter by font style and weight

Supports Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts

Omatsuri

Omatsuri is a collection of simple, open-source tools for everyday web design tasks. It includes utilities for generating CSS gradients, SVG shapes, base64 encoders, and even lorem ipsum text. This all-in-one toolkit is a must-have for web designers looking to streamline their daily tasks without switching between multiple apps.

Key Features:

Wide range of design tools

Free and open-source

Clean, ad-free interface

Haikei

Haikei is a creative generator for unique, high-quality SVG backgrounds, patterns, and abstract shapes. It’s perfect for designers looking to add visually engaging elements to their projects. With its wide range of patterns, textures, and gradients, Haikei offers endless design possibilities.

Key Features:

Generate complex SVG designs

High-quality exports

Real-time design adjustments

Playbook

Playbook is a collaborative design platform that helps teams organise, share, and review design assets in one place. It’s ideal for agencies and freelance designers who need to manage multiple projects and clients. Playbook also offers powerful search and tagging features, making it easy to find exactly what you need when you need it.

Key Features:

Centralised asset management

Collaboration tools for teams

Powerful search and tagging

Tiny Helpers

Tiny Helper is a curated collection of small, free, and incredibly useful tools for developers and designers. It covers a wide range of utilities, including CSS generators, favicon creators, colour pickers, and accessibility checkers. Tiny Helper is perfect for quickly solving small design and development problems without the need for bulky software.

Key Features:

Huge collection of bite-sized tools

Free to use and regularly updated

Ideal for quick design and development tasks

Conclusion

Whether you’re creating custom wave backgrounds, selecting the perfect font, or managing your design assets, these helper sites can significantly improve your workflow as a web developer.

By integrating these tools into your daily routine, you can streamline your creative process, reduce time spent on repetitive tasks, and deliver polished, professional results to your clients.

Give these tools a try and take your web design projects to the next level.